September 15, 2011
By the ZippyCart Content Team
Fashionistas descended upon Target stores and crashed the company’s website Tuesday trying to get their hands on pieces from the new Missoni for Target line.
Target’s website formerly relied on Amazon’s ecommerce software but switched to its own platform three weeks ago. The new platform was evidently not ready for such a rush of customers and the site was consequently down for most of Tuesday. Analysts insist that the crash can be attributed to the unexpected sheer volume of demand and not the separation from Amazon.
A few lucky shoppers managed to purchase items during the short periods that the website was working and Tweeted bragging about it while the vast majority were venting their frustration at the ill-prepared website. Many shoppers who were able to briefly access the site experienced items disappearing from their shopping carts or vanishing payment information. Customers trying to reach the site saw a message from Target that said:
“We are suddenly extremely popular. You may not be able to access our site momentarily due to unusually high traffic. Please stay here and we’ll try to get you in as soon as we can! Please know that there is no need to refresh your browser. Your request will automatically retry in 30 seconds.”
Missoni for Target is the latest designer collaboration line that the company has released. The high-end Italian designer’s clothes are known for their signature zigzag patterns and normally cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. The average price for a piece from the Missoni for Target line is around $40. There have been collaborations in the past with designers such as William Rast and Zac Posen.
The online demand for items from the designer collaboration was mirrored throughout brick-and-mortar Target stores as customers competed to fill their shopping carts in scenes reminiscent of Black Friday shopping. Lines at some stores began forming as early as 5:30 a.m. and at one location in West Hollywood wrapped around the block twice. Many stores sold out early and items were already showing up on eBay for two or three times the price.
Although the demand for clothing from Target’s designer collaboration collections is always high, the excitement over the release of Missoni for Target was unprecedented. This was no doubt in part due to the heavy publicity that the line received in the weeks before it was released. Target released photos of the collection to fashion bloggers and held a party with fashion editors and celebrities. Vogue magazine also featured the line in its August issue.
The collection not only offers apparel but also items like backpacks, a patio set, and even a Missoni for Target bike. Target’s website is up and running as of Wednesday but many items are quickly going out of stock.
Gavin is a graduate of Washington State University where he studied Communication with a public relations emphasis. He left Pullman behind and currently resides in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle where you might run into him at happy hour. When he is not writing something for ZippyCart he enjoys travelling. His favorite film is Pulp Fiction (Say what again. Say what again, I dare you, I double dare you...! ) and his favorite movie genre is zombies. Follow him on Twitter: @_gdonnelly
